Power

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• 1934
• 1 hr 44 mins
• Drama, Documentary

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Gaumont British has shrewdly capitalized on the current interest in the German attitude toward the Jews in presenting the film version of Leon Feuchtwanger's novel, "Jew Suss," but whether it has turned out a piece of popular entertainment remains to be seen. Unlike the Disraeli of Arliss, whose struggle for power is ennobled by an abiding patriotism and an altruistic desire to better the lot of his people, the central character in this picture is driven by an unrelenting fate in the person of a mysterious rabbinical figure to save the life of a condemned Jew. The same fate sends him publicly to visit his mother and to give a grudging recognition to his daughter. Conrad Veidt gives a splendid performance in a difficult role. He insinuates himself into the life of a dissolute duke, Frank Vosper, and pushes him to heights of power. In doing it, however, he turns the one love of his life, Benita Hume, over to the duke; he almost lets an innocent man die as a matter of policy. His retribution comes when his daughter commits suicide to escape the duke's attentions. In the last reel of the picture he gets a Machiavellian revenge and dies on the gallows seeking peace of spirit. The picture is beautifully photographed and splendidly staged, but seems episodic until the closing sequences, where Veidt seeks something beyond his personal aggrandisement. Cedric Hardwicke gives a sharply etched performance as the mysterious rabbi.